Petition urges Trump to classify anti-fascist movement as terrorism

A new White House petition has been launched urging the Trump administration to classify the anti-fascist (Antifa) movement in the US as a terrorist organization. (file photo)

A petition calling on US President Donald Trump’s administration to formally classify the anti-fascist (Antifa) movement in the country as a terrorist organization has been launched on the White House website.

As of Saturday, the petition, which began on Thursday, had collected more than 13,000 on-line signatures. It must reach the benchmark of 100,000 signatures within 30 days to compel the White House to review and potentially act on the initiative.

A similar petition was also launched in January to classify the Black Lives Matter movement as a terrorist organization but it failed to succeed since it only garnered less than 1,000 signatures in a month.

The petition argued that the anti-fascists, referred to leftist or anti-racist activists in the US, should be recognized as terrorists because of their “violent actions in multiple cities and their influence in the killings of multiple police officers throughout the United States.”

It added that "terrorism is defined as the use of violence and intimidation in pursuit of political aims,” and called on the US military to be “consistent in its actions.”

“Just as they rightfully declared ISIL a terror group, they must declare Antifa a terror group – on the grounds of principle, integrity, morality, and safety,” the petition further read.

Antifa – also referred to as the extreme left – has been cited in US media reports for its violent rivalry with white supremacists and other far-right groups across the country.

File photo of anti-fascist activists in the US during a protest event

Violent clashes erupted last Saturday between participants in a Unite the Right rally and anti-fascist counter protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, when a right-wing activist plowed his vehicle through a crowd of anti-racist demonstrators, killing one person and injuring at least 19 others.

Trump came under harsh criticism after the Charlottesville events for his failure to condemn the white supremacists, instead placing the blame on “all sides.”